Transnational companies have proven their
success. And where success can be proven, lessons can be learnt. Lessons which
can be applied to achieve growth, widen the reach and enter the next level of your
own company. Here are some hand-picked exemplary cases of transnational
companies, where key lessons can be learned to ensure success.

Adapting to Changing Market Conditions

This might seem like a simple suggestion
which must be applied to all companies. But it is not just adapting, but about
how far you are willing to go in responding to new conditions. Markets demands
change quickly and adding new products and services is often not enough. It can
become necessary to overthink your approach completely and to consider entering
new sectors with your company. Today, one of Unilever’s most successful brands
is Ben&Jerry’s ice cream. But they didn’t start as an ice cream company.
Their main production lines were soap, processed foods, and consumer articles.

How did Unilever become, the world’s
biggest ice cream company? It was changing market demands that forced them to
adapt, and they did not just add new products. During World War 2, the
processed food industry relied heavily on raw materials. When the demand for
raw materials dropped, they faced a decision. Either expand into new territory
or go bust. So, they grew into totally new sectors. They concentrated their
efforts to move into preservation technologies and distribution systems. With
their efforts on these new sectors, they were able to innovate the production
and packaging of frozen food. And this is what made them the largest ice cream
producers. Would they have stuck to just providing new raw materials for food
processing, they would not have reached the position they currently hold. In
2016, they grossed $8 billion.

Achieving power through value

One golden rule is always to ensure that
your products and services offer the highest value attainable. This will lead
not only to success but in the case of transnational companies, it leads to
power. And this power can be applied to cause positive changes. For instance,
when Facebook and YouTube faced serious
critic for sponsoring fake news and offensive content, major advertisers
stepped in and demanded changes. They didn`t were OK with it, that their
advertisement was placed with, what they called, a “swamp of fabricated news,
racist, and offensive content.

Consumers seeing the ads of companies right
next to controversial content associate the company with it. This was
unacceptable for the advertisers, most of which are transnational
companies. They threatened to pull the advertisement placed on YouTube and
Facebook. This forced the social media giants to act and remove offensive
content. An excellent example of how companies can spark positive social
changes. And with these changes comes even more value to the company. So,
remember: produce products with the highest value and gain power. Use that
power to cause positive changes. Your brand now becomes associated with
positive changes which are beneficial for society. And this association brings
even further value to your company, which brings us to our starting point.